Seven years later, he was appointed as the 39th Chief Justice of India, a post he held for 292 days.

Kabir was born on July 19, 1948, in Kolkata. After completing his LLB and MA from the University of Calcutta, he enrolled as an advocate at the Kolkata Bar Association in 1973 and practiced in the district court and Calcutta High Court. He was appointed as a judge in Calcutta High Court in 1990.

In March 2005, he was appointed as the Chief Justice of Jharkhand High Court before being elevated as a judge in the Supreme Court in September, the same year.